Leland Township News
Please help shape the future of Leland Township Parks and Recreation (P&R)!
The P&R Committee has begun the process of developing the next five-year Community Recreation Plan (CRP) for 2025-2029. The Committee is seeking public input via this survey and other research to help inform the development of a long-range CRP with objectives and priorities that meet the needs and interests of Township residents, area residents and visitors year 'round. This survey is important to planning for future needs and will take ~8-10 minutes to complete. All responses are anonymous. Thank you for your important input!
The survey is open through April 1, 2024.
https://docs.google.com/forms/d/1NW58D1DsKTIxoWuyAsSXihWvDRuI85A_IENCLwEXOjU/edit
Leland Township Board Meetings
Fiscal Year 2023-2024
Meetings are held the second Monday of the month at 7:00 PM in the
Leland Township Library Munnecke Room,
203 E. Cedar Street, Leland, MI 49654
unless restricted by Michigan law.
Monday, April 10, 2023
Monday, May 8, 2023
Monday, June 12, 2023
Monday, July 10, 2023
Monday, August 14, 2023
Monday, September 11, 2023
Monday, October 9, 2023
Monday, November 13, 2023
Monday, December 12, 2023
Leland Township Fire & Rescue hosted the well-viewed YouTube video channel "Heroes Next Door" team. The film crew spent the bettr part of the day with our Duty Crew, learning the ins and outs of our organization.
You can view the video by clicking on this link
A compensation committee has been formed at the request of the electors who attended this year's annual meeting.
The committee is tasked with accessing the compensation of the elected officials of Leland Township and making recommendations for compensation moving forward.
A meeting has been scheduled for the committee to report its findings and recommendations to the Leland Township Board on January 26, 2022, 1:00 PM. The meeting will be held at the Munnecke room in Leland Township Library, 203 E Cedar Street, Leland.
Extra-Voted Millage FAQ
Why is the board asking for an extra-voted millage?
The township receives guaranteed, i.e., allocated dollars through property taxes, sales tax, and other areas of revenue that cover regular/mandatory operational expenses, including election costs, salaries and tax collections. However, our township is unique in that we have 19 parks and park areas and two "villages" that have no local governments of their own. Upkeep and capital improvements in these areas cost money, and those dollars come from this extra-voted millage.
How would the money be spent?
Mostly on parks and capital improvements. In most years, our allocated budget covers our regular operating budget. In some years, however, it comes up a few thousand dollars short, whether it be to election costs, or unforeseen expenses. However, we envision that of the roughly $200,000 collected, $90,000 will cover normal park operations, $30,000 is available for park repairs, maintenance and improvements, $30,000 for immediate and short-term capital needs and the other $50,000 for long-term capital improvement plans, like sidewalks, roads and other infrastructure projects. Any dollars left unspent would be allocated to the capital improvement fund.
How long is the millage term, and how much will it collect?
3 years, generating $199,945 in year one, based on a millage rate of .3920 ($0.392 per $1,000 of taxable value). Growth in new construction will determine subsequent years.
How much will it cost me?
For a $300,000 ($150,000 taxable value) home, the millage would cost about $60, and be applied to the winter tax bill.
Is this a new tax?
Technically, yes, as it must be renewed. However, this millage is lower than the previous extra-voted millage supported by township voters in 2020. That millage expires this year.
Does the township plan to raise any additional taxes?
No. And any other millage increase would also require voter approval.
Is this the same millage rejected in May?
Not exactly. We've cut the millage by about 10% since, based on budget savings we've seen this year, and also provided a clearer picture of spending needs. In addition, we've assured the public that there will be no board-initiated property tax increases over the millage's lifetime.
What happens if it's rejected again?
We'd have to make it work in the near term, but it's not sustainable. We can apply funds from other sources -- Metro, ARPA (Covid Relief Funds), Capital Improvements -- to cover some areas of spending. But those funds have strings attached -- restrictions on how they can be spent -- and would be drained almost entirely over three years. Either significant cuts in park maintenance and capital improvement projects, or alternative tax/revenue sources, would be necessary beyond 2023.
Agreement Reached Between Leland Township, Celebrate Life Trust
LAKE LEELANAU -- The Leland Township Board and attorneys representing Celebrate Life Trust on Tuesday agreed to a True-Cash Value of $8 million on a prominent North Lake Leelanau property, ending litigation over the taxable value of one of Northern Michigan's most unique estates.
The property on North Manitou Trail in Leland, owned since 2006 by the Celebrate Life Trust, was assessed in 2018 at $24 million -- the highest valuation in the state. Even at $8 million, the home remains one of the highest-valued properties in Northern Michigan, and several million dollars more than any other residential property in Leland Township.
A Michigan Tax Tribunal trial, scheduled for Tuesday, was canceled. Both sides Tuesday morning said they were satisfied with the settlement.
Negotiations between the township and Trust’s attorneys continued for more than a year, as did the appeals process. During that time, an outside appraiser hired by the township valued the property at $13.3 million. An initial appraisal performed by the property owner's team determined a value of $6.45 million; a second appraisal for the Trust determined a value of $7.2 million.
The agreement Tuesday set the true cash value at $8 million for years 2019, 2020 and 2021, which allows the Trust a refund of overpayments on property taxes in years 2019 and 2020.
Please refer any additional questions to township attorney Peter Boyles by phone at (231) 486-4511 or email at pboyles@parkerharvey.com, and Jack VanCoevering at (616) 726-2200 or at jvancoevering@fosterswift.com.